At auction, this piece would be worth...

There's a game we play on Monday evenings at our house sometimes.

It's a companion game to a television program.

Where we (my family) try to guess the value of something before the expert tells us.

Have you ever seen Antiques Roadshow?

People bring their 'stuff' to the 'stuff experts' at AR...and they (the experts) tell people how valuable (or not!) their stuff is.

If you like antiques, watch the show.

If you like to learn about history, watch the show.

If you want to know how much that old thingamajig is that's sitting on your shelf, watch the show.

If you want to see some really ugly, valuable stuff...watch the show.

Seriously.

There's some really, really, really weird stuff on AR.

And when we're playing the 'guess the worth' game...inevitably I want to say that the ugly stuff isn't worth as much as the shiny stuff.

Sometimes that's the case. Sometimes...according to the 'stuff experts'...the damage to a piece affects it's worth. Books are notorious for this. Quilts are notorious for this. Pottery is too. Furniture is as well.

Artwork...can sometimes have this problem...but so often the 'stuff experts' tell folks how they can repair or restore the artwork.

Books and pottery, quilts and furniture are not like artwork. They don't just hang prettily on a wall generally.

They're used. They get dirty...and handled...on a daily basis.

They give us comfort, entertain us, inform us, keep us warm....give us a place to put a drink in...and a place to put a drink on. They serve...and by serving...they can become damaged.

Sometimes the damage is from someone else's hand. The pottery gets chipped, a page falls out of the book, the quilt frays...or becomes faded...and the handles don't always match.

And the 'stuff experts' tell folks that they aren't worth much.

Because they aren't in pristine condition. Because they're damaged.

So the worth is measured by others. The 'stuff experts'...and me....as I watch.

Sometimes I'm right. Or close.

Most of the time...I'm way off! I had no idea that that whozeewhatsit was worth that much!

What's really funny to watch is the reaction of the owners of the stuff. When they find out the value of their items.

Some are so surprised that they cry...or laugh in disbelief...or stand there...speechless.

Some are upset because they paid too much for their item.

Some are not happy because they find out that what they thought was authentic...was actually fake.

To some...the object is a family heirloom that...no matter the cost...they (the owner) would never part with it.

To others...the 'garage sale bargain' is found out to be worth a lot...and you can actually see the dollar signs in their eyes as they consider what might happen if they sell it.

A person can learn a lot from Antiques Roadshow. If they look close enough.

Imagine for a moment...that you are an object on AR.

Are you damaged? Very old? Fake? Authentic? In pristine condition? A family heirloom? A book? A lamp? A piece of pretty art? A garage sale bargain? Weird looking?

Now...consider for a moment who is measuring your worth. Are you more interested in what the 'stuff experts' think of you? Or the goofy people who like to look at you and 'guess'...?

Now...think about this: Think about the folks who don't care how much the 'experts' say their stuff is worth...because they will never part with it. Regardless of the price they paid for it...or how damaged it is...or how much the stuff could be worth at auction....they clutch it to their hearts and say, "It's mine. I love it. I will not let it go."

My friends, there is Someone clutching you to His heart today. And He knows exactly how much you are worth...ripped pages, cracks, weird-looking...He knows...and He will not let you go.